By Nangamso Mabindla
5 May 2004

IN desperate need of parking meters to discourage congestion and ensure a steady flow of traffic in East London's chaotic CBD, the Buffalo City municipality has called for tenders.

This is the second call for tenders, said municipal communications manager Darby Gounden, explaining that companies that applied for the first tender did not meet requirements set by the council, and purchase costs were considered too excessive. "We want user-friendly parking meters for our motorists," she said.

Gounden said it was important that motorists were aware of the benefits of parking meters in East London's CBD. "Some cars would park for the whole day in the same spot making it that much more difficult for other motorists to find parking space."

Another spin-off of having parking meters was extra revenue for the city. The previous parking meters had been removed because the income from the meters was less than the monthly rental and the municipality was losing revenue.

"We will get additional revenue as different cars pay for the parking service provided by the municipality. That in turn makes it easier for us to improve service to our motorists," said Gounden. "Motorists also have a limited amount of time in that parking bay."

Gounden said traffic congestion was one of the main reasons the municipality was eager to get a viable tender. "We need to start as soon as possible. Traffic congestion comes with unnecessary accidents and road rage; we need to work faster for the sake of our motorists," she said.

The deadline for the submission of new tenders is 21 May, with tenders to be opened for public scrutiny at 2pm on the same day.